Watt's workouts; veteran help; quick lessons

A look back at rookie minicamp and what the players were talking about.

Workout warrior:T.J. Watt came into minicamp physically prepared for whatever was thrown as the team’s No. 1 draft pick.

“I started doing two-a-days at my workouts leading up to this,” said Watt. “I had been working out in the morning and afternoon to get my body adjusted for a work week. I think that helped me with conditioning, and being in football shape. It’s been a lot of hard work.”

All-around player:JuJu Smith-Schuster doesn’t want to be tabbed as a receiver who can help the Steelers in one specific area or another. He wants to be thought of as an all-around receiver, who can help the offense in every aspect.

“I want to be an overall player who can shine in the red zone, backed up, and in the middle of the field,” said Smith-Schuster. “I have that mentality that every time the ball comes to me, I want to make plays.”

Learning from the best: James Conner already has a friendship with one of his new teammates, but now he will be able to take that to the next level and have fellow running back Le’Veon Bell as someone he can learn from on a daily basis.

“He is the best in the game,” said Conner. “For me to learn from somebody like that, I am all for that. Anything I can do to help this team win, I will do.”

Got it covered:Brian Allen, the team’s fifth-round pick out of Utah, has the size, 6-3, 215 pounds, to cover big receivers. But don’t count him out when it comes to defending against smaller receivers.

“The big thing for me is I want to show the coaches not only can I play with the big guys, I can play with the small guys,” said Allen. “I am a taller guy, but I want to show them I am fluid in my hips. I can get in and out of my transitions quick, just compete with anybody I step in front of.”

Time to study: The three days of rookie minicamp were filled with information flying at players left and right. And the best thing they can do, is just keep on studying the playbook.

“I want to learn the plays the best that I can,” said Scott Orndoff, a rookie free agent out of the University of Pittsburgh. “They don’t give you a lot of time to learn them. I learned three different offenses at Pitt. I just think getting more comfortable with the plays, staying healthy, but mainly the plays and getting comfortable with the plays is the goal right now.”